"Aksum is our Mecca," declares senior cleric Godefa Merha, who believes that just as churches are banned in Islam's holiest site, mosques cannot exist in Aksum. "Aksum is a holy place. This city ...

1 Kings, 10, v.1-2, Old Testament. Although there is no evidence that the Queen of Sheba did come from Aksum, it has become part of the Ethiopian church's central tenets. "The Ethiopians say she ...

People also stayed in church compounds or the houses of relatives if they had some in Aksum. Vendors took the chance to sell colourful crucifixes as well parasols to the pilgrims.

Despite the lack of sources, it is known that Aksum remained an important religious centre. The Church of Our Lady of Mary Zion became a significant place of pilgrimage, and the Central Stele Park too ...

“Aksum converted to Christianity in the fourth ... date to the fourth century A.D., making it possibly the oldest church in sub-Saharan Africa. (Courtesy M.J. Harrower) One of the primary ...

Its cultural property encompasses the ancient Aksum town, which houses hundreds of stelae (granite monoliths), several churches, and other monumental structures. The monuments reflect the wealth and ...